Ten contemporary interiors with innovative stone furniture
Spinning top-shaped granite chairs, marble shelves and a candy-coloured onyx counter are among the stone furniture pieces used for the interiors in our latest lookbook.
Stone, especially marble, has long been used for dining and coffee tables, as well as for countertops. But a number of contemporary designers are now experimenting with bolder and more unusual stone furnishings.
The examples in this lookbook range from a stone seat in a rural home built for an older couple to a striking granite counter in a Finnish clothing store and multicoloured swivelling marble chairs.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring ten interiors that make use of the colour of the year, homes with sliding doors and lounge areas with suspended fireplaces.
Esperinos, Greece, by Stamos Michael
Greek designer Stamos Michael designed the Esperinos guesthouse in Athens with a mix of furniture classics and his own designs. These include a small stool the designer made from two blocks of stone found in a quarry in Tinos, a Greek island in the Aegean sea.
The stool's rough texture matches the house's structural stone shell, which Michael has displayed by carving out small sections of the walls.
Find out more about Esperinos ›
Armadillo showroom, Australia, by Studio Goss
This Sydney showroom has a sparse, simple material palette of concrete, plaster and tiled surfaces that designers Studio Goss created to function as a backdrop to the rugs on show.
In front of a tiled wall, a chunky stone table is surrounded by graphic black chairs, while an oversized paper lantern adds another geometric touch to the interior design.
Find out more about Armadillo showroom ›
Swivel, UK, by Sabine Marcelis
Rotating chairs made from natural stone including granite, quartzite, marble and travertine make up the Swivel furniture installation by designer Sabine Marcelis.
The colourful chairs were installed in St Giles Square as part of this year's London Design Festival. "The main concept was to inject some colour, fun, lightheartedness and liveliness into the square – in an adult playground way," Marcelis said.
MA House, France, by Timothee Mercier
A ruined farmhouse in France was turned into an "intimate refuge" named MA House by architect Timothee Mercier for his parents.
In the peaceful white living room, white cushions were inserted into a blocky stone plinth to form a minimalist sofa with an angular shape.
Find out more about MA House ›
&C office, the Netherlands, by Anne Claus Interiors
Pastel-hued onyx slabs decorate the stripy bar counter in Dutch media company &C's hybrid office, store and cafe in Amsterdam, which was created by designer Anne Claus Interiors.
The studio also used the material for display plinths in the shop, round tabletops in the cafe and for the boardroom's table. The colours of the joyful stone furniture were chosen as they suit the &C brand.
Find out more about &C office ›
The Audo, Denmark, by Menu and Norm Architects
The interior of Danish boutique hotel The Audo, designed by local studio Norm Architects as the headquarters for design brand Menu, features multiple elegant coffee tables made from black and white marble slabs.
These veiny marble tables complement tactile white boucle sofas and the terracotta plaster walls in the earth-coloured bedrooms.
Find out more about The Audo ›
Nanso, Finland, by Studio Joanna Laajisto
Studio Joanna Laajisto's interior design for the Nanso womenswear store in Helsinki, Finland, features plenty of natural materials, including a chunky service counter made from red granite from the nearby town of Mäntsälä.
The studio also used the same stone to create a display stand, placing a slab atop a small metal box to form a sculptural and practical furniture piece.
Casa Salvatori, Italy, by Elissa Ossino Studio
This Milanese apartment, filled with marble artworks and furniture, is fittingly owned by the head of Italian stone brand Salvatori. Designer Elissa Ossino Studio transformed the white apartment by using the brand's own marble collection in creative ways.
A Colonnata oak bookshelf features veiny marble shelf dividers in different colours, creating a sculptural piece that is as eye-catching when it's empty as when it's filled with books.
Find out more about Casa Salvatori ›
Spun chair, Singapore, by Heatherwick Studio
London-based Heatherwick Studio reproduced its spinning top-shaped Spun chairs in marble for the garden of the brand's EDEN skyscraper in Singapore.
"As gardens are places for rest and contemplation, a seat seemed like a natural solution that would encourage people to either sit for a moment of quiet contemplation or to perhaps engage in a conversation with a neighbour," Tom Glover, project leader at Heatherwick Studio, told Dezeen.
Find out more about Spun chair ›
Glogauer apartment, Germany, by White Arrow
A circular travertine table in a decorative beige hue is matched with cane dining chairs inside the Glogauer apartment in Berlin, which New York studio White Arrow renovated for a young family.
The flat was gutted to create more living space, though the designers preserved its existing high ceilings, ornate doorframes and coving. Vintage furnishings were used to decorate the new interior.
Find out more about Glogauer apartment ›
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring ten interiors that make use of the colour of the year, homes with sliding doors and lounge areas with suspended fireplaces.